ecancermedicalscience最新文献

{"title":"Clinicopathological prognostic factors for survival in patients with breast cancer: a retrospective study from a tertiary cancer centre from North-West India.","authors":"Niketa Thakur, Ramandeep Singh, Sunigdha, Rajiv Devgan, Abhishek Sharma","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1865","DOIUrl":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1865","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Among women worldwide, breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy. Understanding potential prognostic indicators is critical for selecting the optimal treatment modalities, evaluating the response and creating a follow-up plan. In this retrospective study, the clinical and pathological features of primary breast cancer patients who presented to the tertiary cancer centre in the past 10 years were retrospectively studied and analysed to assess their correlation with survival.</p><p><strong>Patients and methods: </strong>Histopathologically confirmed breast cancer patients presenting between January 2014 and December 2023 were included in this study. Clinical data and treatment details including the surgical procedure, chemotherapy and radiation treatment were collected from the medical records. The study utilised both univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards models to determine the most significant independent prognostic variables for overall survival (OS).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 676 patients were treated for breast cancer in our centre between January 2014 and December 2023. The median age was 50 years. Three seventy nine patients (56.0%) presented with early breast cancer at the time of diagnosis while 272 patients (40.2%) had locally advanced breast cancer corresponding to clinical stage III. Twenty one (3.1%) patients presented with stage IV. In the univariate analysis, factors significantly associated with OS were stage at presentation, grade, positive lymph node status, number of positive lymph nodes, presence of lymphovascular space invasion (LVSI), presence of perinodal extension (PNE) and distant metastasis at presentation. On multivariate analysis, grade of tumor, LVSI and PNE were significant factors affecting survival outcome.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Clinical stage at presentation, tumour grade, lymph node status, presence of LVSI, PNE and tumour grade were the prognostic variables substantially associated with survival. A comprehensive approach that includes early detection and appropriate treatment modalities tailored to individual patient characteristics is essential for optimising survival outcomes in breast cancer patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1865"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12146560/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144257531","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reassessing operability in T4b oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma: a comparative analysis of radiological classification and surgeons' perspective.","authors":"Fizza Asif Qureshi, Nabeel Humayun Hassan, Rahila Usman, Shafqat Ali Sheikh, Bushra Ayub, Sumra Sattar","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1866","DOIUrl":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1866","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>Oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma (OCSCC), being more prevalent in developing countries due to the intake of chewable tobacco, is treatable if patients present at an early stage. According to the American Joint Committee on Cancer, T4b disease is termed inoperable and treated with palliative intent. However, with the passage of time, these have been operated on, with comparable disease-free survival rates with T4a disease. On radiological investigation, the mandibular notch is a structure dividing the infratemporal fossa into two. The objective is to determine the frequency of supra-notch and infra-notch T4b OSCC tumours and to compare them with surgeons' perspective in terms of operability.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>T4b staged patients of OCSCC were retrospectively reviewed along with the computed tomography (CT) scans to term them as infra-notch and supra-notch cases. They were then reviewed by two surgeons for surgical intervention as the treatment option and these two decisions were evaluated for agreement.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Of the 51 patients included, 36 were primary for buccal mucosa. According to the radiologist, 30 were infra-notch and the remaining 21 were supra-notch diseases. The first surgeon deemed 33 cases as operable and 18 as inoperable, whereas the second surgeon labelled 30 as operable and 21 as inoperable. For infra-notch cases, the first surgeon's opinion was operability in 27 and the second surgeon's opinion was operability in 24 cases. For supra-notch cases, the results were similar as both deemed 71.4% as inoperable i.e., 15 out of 21 patients. The agreement between radiologist and first surgeon, analysed by Cohen's Kappa, was 0.514, which is a moderate agreement, and between radiologist and second surgeon was 0.628, which shows substantial agreement.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Therefore, we conclude that mandibular notch can be used as a landmark to classify supra-notch and infra-notch tumours. Supra-notch tumours are most likely inoperable.</p>","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1866"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12146570/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144257562","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Comparison of the effectiveness of oral morphine versus oral tramadol on early pain control in opioid-naive patients with moderate cancer pain.","authors":"Ramila Shilpakar, K C Anuj, Bibek Acharya, Sandhya Chapagain, Shama Pandey, Prakash Neupane, Bishal Poudel, Soniya Dulal, Bishnu Dutta D Poudel","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1864","DOIUrl":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1864","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of oral morphine (MOR) with oral tramadol (TRM) in control of pain as well as physical well-being in patients (pts) with moderate cancer pain (MCP) using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS).</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>An Institutional Review Board (IRB) approved randomised phase II trial was performed in opioid-naive pts with MCP as defined by pain score in numerical rating score (NRS) of 4-6. Patients were randomised to receive MOR syrup 5 mg 4 hourly or TRM 50 mg four times a day. Titration of dose was done in both groups for 3 days in case of inadequate pain control as per standard recommendation for MOR or until the maximum recommended daily dose for TRM. MOR was changed to prolonged release form on Day 4. The primary endpoint was the number of early responders, defined as pts with at least 20% reduction in pain intensity on NRS on Day 3. The secondary outcome was the number of patients with highly meaningful pain reduction, defined as a decrease in pain intensity on NRS by ≥5 and improvement in physical well-being with ESAS at Day 7.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Sixty-eight pts consented and were randomised, 34 in each arm. The primary endpoint occurred in 94.1% pts in MOR and 55.9% in TRM (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The number of patients with highly meaningful pain reduction was significantly higher in MOR than in TRM (76.5% versus 32.35%; <i>p</i> < 0.001). Improvement in general physical well-being as assessed by ESAS was better in the MOR group. No difference in adverse effects was noted between the treatment arms.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In this study, MOR was superior to TRM in the control of pain with statistically significant differences in the primary and secondary endpoints. Therefore, early use of MOR skipping the World Health Organization sequential analgesic ladder for MCP may be a higher value option in resource-scarce country with limited access to healthcare.</p>","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1864"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12146575/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144257532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Current advances in cancer immunohistochemistry: a new perspective for the Ki-67 biomarker.","authors":"Talita Alves do Nascimento Santos, Anna Karoline Fausto da Silva, Karin Soares Gonçalves Cunha, Camila Braz Pereira da Costa, Aldo Rodrigues da Silva, Helena Carla Castro, Nathália Silva Carlos Oliveira","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1863","DOIUrl":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1863","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ki-67 is a cell proliferation biomarker used to evaluate the proliferative activity of neoplasia cells. However, considering its functions on the cell cycle, the standard method seems to be an underused way of evaluating expression, since so far, its analytical validity of Ki-67 remains questionable for its use in personalised therapy. Improvements in the assessment of Ki-67 expression continue to be explored, and recently, a new approach that considers the heterogeneity or variability in staining intensity has emerged as a more improved way than the traditional method. In this review, we bring together what is available in the literature on the biological properties of the protein and highlight how this potential association is promising in the field of personalised medicine.</p>","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1863"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12146573/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144257556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Understanding the needs of African researchers involved in implementation and dissemination science.","authors":"Nwamaka Lasebikan, Catherine Oladoyinbo, Darby Walser, Ernest Kaninjing","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1862","DOIUrl":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1862","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Implementation science focuses on the study and application of methods and strategies to facilitate the systematic adoption of evidence-based interventions and programs that enhance cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship outcomes. Despite concerted efforts by African governments, international organizations and private sectors to mitigate the cancer burden, significant challenges persist in delivering effective and equitable cancer care across the continuum. The study assessed the needs of researchers and clinicians in Africa engaged in implementation and dissemination science.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Data were gathered to explore gaps in collaboration, mentorship and funding while also examining the barriers and enablers to building implementation science capacity.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The findings revealed a growing interest in implementation science among African clinicians and researchers. However, significant challenges were identified, including difficulties in finding collaborators, limited access to mentors and inadequate funding opportunities. These gaps have hindered the ability of professionals to address the escalating cancer burden effectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The study concluded that substantial gaps in implementation science capacity exist in Africa, which must be addressed to improve cancer care outcomes. Strengthening capacity in this field is critical to equipping researchers and clinicians to manage the rising cancer burden.</p><p><strong>Recommendations: </strong>The study recommends a multifaceted approach to building implementation science capacity in Africa. Key strategies include mentorship programs, targeted training, increased stakeholder involvement and the establishment of sustainable funding mechanisms to support research and practice in this area.</p>","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1862"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12146572/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144257577","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Leukaemia-associated priapism in children (LAPC): reviewing clinical outcomes and management strategies.","authors":"Abhijit Shah, K R Surag, Anupam Choudhary, Kasi Viswanath, Avb Krishnakanth, Chaitanya Krishna, Padmaraj Hegde, S Gayathri, P M Swathi","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1860","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2025.1860","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Priapism is a prolonged penile erection for more than 4 hours unrelated to sexual stimulation. Rarely, it is the first clinical sign of an underlying haematological malignancy. A similar presentation is noted in childhood leukaemias. Although rare, it is known to occur and, if not managed early, can have poor long-term outcomes in terms of erectile function and psychosexual growth. We present a scoping review of leukaemia-associated priapism in children (LAPC).</p><p><strong>Methodology: </strong>We researched literature using PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, Scopus and Cochrane databases from January 1990 to 2024. Applicable search limiters were applied, and grey literature was excluded.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 31 articles were finally included in the review, from which 51 cases of LAPC were isolated and studied. The average age was 11.5 years, with chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) being the most common malignancy (68.9%), and more than 71% of cases of CML with priapism were detected in the chronic phase. Twenty cases (39.2%) were managed with corporal lavage and sympathomimetic injections at the initial onset, with the rest managed with cytoreductive measures initially. Follow-up data revealed the death of three children, whereas, of those that survived, fourteen had preserved erectile functions after a variable period of time.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Priapism in children warrants a thorough physical examination focusing on organomegaly and a complete hemogram. Initial management should be two-pronged with a priapism-directed corporal-lavage approach and cytoreductive measures for better long-term outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1860"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12010180/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143969032","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Germinal mutations among patients with breast cancer in Colombia: is BRCA3 coming?","authors":"Lisa Ximena Rodríguez Rojas, Liliana Doza Martínez, Jorge Andrés Olave Rodríguez, Sandra Eliana Murillo Rusynke, Paola Andrea Pérez Castellano, David Alexander Bolaños Beltrán, Helen Johana Ortiz Rojas, José Antonio Nastasi Catanese","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1859","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2025.1859","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer in women and accounts for 25% of all cancers worldwide. The mechanisms by which it develops include germline (generally inherited) and somatic mutations. There are six mutations with the highest incidence in the Colombian population, called the Colombia profile, which is associated with the <i>BRCA1</i> and <i>BRCA2</i> genes. The aim of this study is to identify germline mutations in individuals with breast cancer, such as BRCA and other genes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study describes the frequency and type of variants in hereditary cancer genes associated with breast cancer detected by the next-generation sequencing of a panel of 111 hereditary cancer genes, including <i>BRCA1</i> and <i>BRCA2</i>.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This analysis allowed the identification of variants associated with breast cancer in 307 patients from a population in southwestern Colombia, of which 19% had pathogenic and probably pathogenic mutations associated with hereditary cancer. According to the variant classification, it was found that the mutation frequency in BRCA1 was 17%, in BRCA2 was 14% and in the <i>ATM</i> gene was 12%; nevertheless, 57% of mutations were attributed to other genes such as <i>MUTYH, FANCM, FANCA</i> and <i>TP53</i>. Four patients were found to have the mutation c.3450delCAAG in the <i>BRCA1</i> gene, which is included in the Colombia profile.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>In summary, in the Colombian population, there is a great diversity of germline mutations in genes other than <i>BRCA1</i> and <i>BRCA2</i> that are associated with breast cancer. Studying mutations and variants of uncertain significance in <i>ATM</i> could improve understanding of how mutations in these genes contribute to cancer and whether <i>ATM</i> should be considered as <i>BRCA3</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1859"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12010175/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143986742","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Clinical presentation and treatment outcomes of gastric adenocarcinoma patients: a retrospective study from Ain Shams Clinical Oncology Department.","authors":"Mohamed Osama Alorabi, Mohamed El-Bassiouny, Dalia Abd El Ghany El Khodary, Mai Mohamed Ali Ezz El Din, Alaa Mohamed Mohamed Ahmed Elsayed, Christine Reda","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1861","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2025.1861","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Gastric adenocarcinoma (GAC) has a different epidemiological profile in Egypt than in other countries. It ranks 11th in incidence, with 3,285 new cases and 10th in mortality, with 2,469 cases. This retrospective study aims to analyze gastric cancer epidemiology and clinical outcomes in Egyptian patients at Ain Shams University Clinical Oncology Department.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We conducted a retrospective analysis of the complete medical records of patients with confirmed GAC at the Ain Shams University Clinical Oncology Department from January 2017 to December 2020.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>This study included 70 patients with GAC. The median age was 52.5 years, with nearly half of cases under 50 years and males representing 53% of the cohort. 70% of patients were from urban areas. Nearly one-third were smokers, with 57.1% having medical comorbidities, mainly diabetes mellitus, hypertension and viral hepatitis. Additionally, 25.7% had a positive family history of GAC. Most Common presenting symptoms were vomiting (42.9%) and abdominal pain (57.1%). 40% of tumours were in the gastric body, and 64.3% were diffuse-type GAC, with 64.3% classified as high grade (III). At presentation, the majority of cases were metastatic (55.7%), with 15.7% presenting with stage II disease and 28.6% with stage III. Most patients (72.8%) had an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group ≤2. Only 18.6% received neoadjuvant chemotherapy, while 48.6% underwent surgical resection with adequate lymph node dissection in 55.9% of cases. Adjuvant chemotherapy or chemoradiation was administered to 19 patients. The median overall survival (OS) was 11 months, 36 months for stage II, 17 months for stage III and 7 months for stage IV. Univariate analysis indicated that female gender, higher stage (Stage III-IV), higher grade (G IV), absence of neoadjuvant chemotherapy and intestinal type were significantly associated with increased mortality. However, multivariate analysis adjusting for these factors identified the advanced stage as a significant independent predictor of mortality.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study identified the distinct GAC profile of Egyptian patients, younger age, aggressive tumours and frequent metastases. These factors contributed to lower OS. Further research and targeted interventions are needed to improve outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1861"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12010182/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143985471","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Global trends in the management of cancer through obesity reduction: a bibliometric based systematic literature review.","authors":"Muhammad Hassaan Wali, Hamza Javed, Nisar Ahmad, Ikram A Burney","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1857","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2025.1857","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>The escalating prevalence of obesity poses increased risk for public health, including an increasing incidence of cancer. The association between obesity and cancer has become an area of increasing concern and investigation. Literature on the treatment of obesity leading to a reduction in the incidence of cancer and as an adjunct to cancer-directed therapy is beginning to emerge. We conducted a bibliometric analysis to study the current trends in published literature.</p><p><strong>Objectives: </strong>The aims of the study were to explore the evolving landscape of obesity-related cancer management and identify the current areas of active research in the field.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We searched the SCOPUS database on December 11, 2023, to identify the content and patterns of the literature published on the subject of 'treatment of obesity to prevent or treat cancers' using keywords, '(obesity OR overweight OR 'Body Mass Index' OR 'body weight') AND (cancer OR neoplasm) AND (prevention OR 'bariatric surgery' OR 'weight loss' OR 'weight reduction')' in the title, abstract or the author-supplied keywords. After removing non-English and non-journal articles, a manual search was carried out to ensure relevance to the research question. The 'bibliometric package' version R 4.3.2 binaries for macOS 11 (Big Sur) and higher, signed and notarised packages, were used to extract data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Over the study period, a total of 724 documents were published, 624 were subjected to manual screening and 95 were identified for analysis. An increase in the number of articles was seen from 2017 onward. 'Bradford's law' was applied, and 5 core journals published 33/95 (34.7%) of all articles and received 1,808/4,399 citations (41.1%). The vast majority of articles, reported on the use of bariatric surgery for weight reduction as a method for cancer prevention and as an adjunct to cancer-directed treatment.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The treatment of obesity seems to be emerging as a strategy for the prevention and treatment of cancer. The field is relatively new, publications have begun to emerge in the last 10 years, and there is a growing interest in bariatric surgery as a method to prevent obesity-related cancers.</p>","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1857"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12010181/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143982177","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The contribution of spirituality and religiousness to the quality of life of cancer patients treated with radiotherapy in Ghana: a cross-sectional study.","authors":"Joseph Daniels, Edwin Tekpertey Glover, Kofi Adesi Kyei","doi":"10.3332/ecancer.2025.1858","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3332/ecancer.2025.1858","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality globally. A significant proportion of all patients with cancer require radiotherapy as part of their treatment. Cancer can be very terrifying for patients undergoing radiotherapy, especially when it undermines their ability to hope or cope. In Ghana, where religious and spiritual beliefs play a significant role in many individuals' lives, understanding how these factors affect patients' well-being during cancer treatment is crucial. This study examined the contribution of spirituality and religiousness to the quality of life (QoL) of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy in Accra, Ghana. Pre-validated questionnaires were used to collect data that were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences software (version 20). Patient interviews were also conducted and analysed thematically. Most of the respondents were female (<i>n</i> = 58, 65%), whereas 32 (35%) were male. The mean age of the respondents was 45.8 years (SD 12.9). All the participants of the study were religious and considered themselves to be either Christian (<i>n</i> = 82, 91.1%) or Muslim (<i>n</i> = 8, 8.9%). Approximately 93% of the participants relied on their spiritual beliefs to cope with cancer. Many patients reported that spirituality and religious coping are important aspects of their experience, potentially influencing their perceived QoL during radiotherapy. Most patients considered attention to spiritual concerns an important part of cancer care by doctors (88%) and nurses (85%). Five themes were identified from the analysis of the qualitative data. These themes indicated nuanced insights into how spirituality and religiousness influence the experiences of cancer patients. The findings of this study demonstrate the need to cater not only to bodily but also to emotional, social and spiritual needs that arise in the lives of cancer patients.</p>","PeriodicalId":11460,"journal":{"name":"ecancermedicalscience","volume":"19 ","pages":"1858"},"PeriodicalIF":1.2,"publicationDate":"2025-02-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12010178/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143987576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}